The Master Musicians announce their summer festival will be held 4-6June 2010 in their village in Morocco. Guests will stay with the musicians and their families and experience three days and nights of ritual Sufi music in its natural setting. On Saturday 5 June the musicians will perform the Boujeloud ritual in the village square through the night. In July 2008 the Master Musicians of Joujouka hosted the Brian Jones 40th Anniversary Festival in their village in the southern Rif Mountains of Northern Morocco. The festival was a celebration of fortieth anniversary of Brian Jones’ recording the iconic LP Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka (Rolling Stones Records 1971). The festival brought the families of old Masters now passed on and a group of visitors from abroad including old friends of the errant Rolling Stone.

In 2009 the Master Musicians festival moved to June as the tempreture at the end of July can be above 40C. The festival was a great success and was reported on in The Wire magazine October, 2009.

Guests will experience life in Joujouka staying with the musicians and their families in their isolated village. The Master Musicians of Joujouka will play in intimate sessions around their madrassa/school. The highlight of the festival wwill be the village’s celebration of the Boujeloud ritual in the village square.

Places at the festival are strictly limited as due to accommodation limitations with the families in Joujouka/Jajouka. Guests will be collected from Ksar El Kebir the nearest town to Joujouka on Friday 5th June and will be brought to the village. Full board will be provided. Food will be prepared in traditional Joujouka fashion from locally sourced produced. Joujouka is a framing community well as Sufi trance music the village is famous for its beautiful olives and olive oil.

The festival is booking now. The price for the main two days of the festival 4-5 June is €250 euro.

Accommodation for 4, 5, and 6 June is €300 (Euro)

Guests will be collected at Moulay El Mehdi train station in Ksar El Kebir on June 4th and transported to Joujouka or by arrangement . For Moroccan trains see www.oncf.ma

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Master Musicians of Joujouka Brian Jones 40th Anniversary Festival July 2008 took place on the anniversary of Brian Jones recocording the seminal "Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka".
In 2009 the Master Musicians second annual festival in their home village continued this intersting event which allows people to explore Joujouka/Jajouka and see what life is actually like there away from the histronics of commercialised versions of their music. The festival was moved from late July as the Fete du Throne of Mohamed VI the king of Morocco takes places in the last week of July and the musicians are annually called on to play as representitives of their region.

link to photos and reports from Brain Jones 40th Anniversary festival on the Master Musicians of Joujouka Myspace